The PS Overshirt
The linen summer overshirt, based on a bespoke commission by Simon with Luca Avitabile.
Overshirts are often overcomplicated, with four pockets on the front and design details that push them towards old-fashioned Safari styles.
The commission Simon made with Luca was designed to be simple, but functional. There are just two chest pockets but also hidden waist pockets below, made from the same piece of cloth.
There's also a small pocket inside, while the chest pockets have been cut expressly to fit a mobile phone. The collar, meanwhile, is made with proper stand - as a dress shirt would be - to enable it to stand up when required, but also fold softly forwards.
Says Simon: "Details are everything with a simple garment like this. The sleeves, for example, have a decent length placket, which means you can roll them up easily. And nothing makes it look so relaxed, so like a simple shirt, when you do so with just a T-shirt underneath."
The overshirt is slightly longer than most others, at 78cm for a Medium, but can be shortened. It is cut straight but slim through the body, retaining the style but giving it more elegance than those based off chore jackets.
Made from a crisp Irish linen, it is available in really dark navy, deep brown and crisp olive.
For full details on the background to the project, read the launch article here
Product details:
- The PS Overshirt is made in 100% washed Irish linen, 290gm
- The buttons are dark-brown horn
- It is made in the Luca Avitabile atelier, Naples
- It is a clean machine make: no handwork other than handsewn buttons, unlike PS shirts
- The shirt has two breast pockets, two hidden waist pockets, and one internal hip pocket
- It can be washed cool (30 degrees) and hung to dry, but there will be some shrinkage, around 3-5%, as is often the case with linen. If you want to avoid this, you can hand wash or dry clean
- It is available in dark navy and dark brown
Sizing:
- In the pictures, Simon is wearing a size Medium
- The sleeve length has been increased slightly on the first iteration, by 1cm
- The body is cut straight but slightly slim compared to other chores and overshirts
- It is relatively long. Generally, an overshirt should reach somewhere between the bottom and halfway point of your seat
- Alterations, as on a shirt, are easy. The only limitations are the waist pockets, if shortening the body, and reducing the length of the placket, if shortening the sleeve.
Size chart:
Neck | Chest | Waist | Shoulders | Back length | Sleeve | Cuff | |
Extra small (44) | 38 | 110 | 100 | 47 | 75 | 61 | 23.5 |
Small (44-46) | 38.5 | 112 | 102 | 48 | 76 | 61 | 24 |
Medium (48-50) | 40.5 | 118 | 110 | 50 | 78 | 63 | 25 |
Large (52-54) | 42 | 124 | 116 | 52 | 79 | 65 | 26 |
Extra large (56-58) | 44 | 130 | 124 | 54 | 81 | 67 | 27 |